Transference as a Replication of Individuality

Freud describes transference as a process that involves reprinting or re-stamping the individuality of a person's sexual history onto their psyche. He likens this process to making slight edits to a first printing stereotype, creating facsimiles that represent the original individuality. In transference, the patient's feelings and emotions are transferred onto the analyst, who becomes a vessel for these reprinted versions of their past. Freud emphasizes the importance of uncovering the original stereotype or first printing plates, which contain the unconscious material related to the patient's conflicts and complexes. The process of working through transference involves sifting through these reprints and subtracting the present-day affective ties, focusing on the original material that is crucial for therapeutic progress.